Alpaca Transfaunation

When is alpaca spit a good thing? When you need a transfaunation. Never heard of such a thing? Well, it's very good to know if you have a sick alpaca that is not eating.

Ok, let's start with the definition of transfaunation. Basically, it's the transfer of symbiotic fauna from one host to another. In other words, you are swapping alpaca spit (rumen juice) from one alpaca to another to get beneficial microbes into their digestive system.

When is this needed? If your alpaca has stopped eating for any reason, his stomach will stop working. In three to five days of not eating, the microbes in your alpacas stomach will die. This is a very bad thing to happen. Your alpaca needs these microbes. For an alpaca to recover from illness, they need to be getting nourishment. If they're not eating, it can be a downward spiral from which your alpaca will have a hard time recovering. It's very important to keep the stomach working.

If the fauna in your alpacas stomach is dying or has died, then you need to repopulate the stomach with these all important bacteria and protozoa in compartment one and two of your alpacas stomach.

Enter...transfaunation. How do you do this? Some vets use cow rumen, but it is best to use another alpacas rumen juice. You can use a gelding that you have on your farm. Sedate him and suck out the rumen juice. You can give it by tube or you can syringe it into your anorexic alpaca if they will take it.

You can, also, put a sock over a bred females mouth and test her behavior with a stud. They usually spit up a storm when already pregnant. Collect the juice from the sock. You can soak it in a little water to get the juice out of the sock. Then suck the water juice mixture into a feeding syringe and give to your alpaca. You can give your alpaca some of the solid vegetation that you collected, too, if they'll take it.

Some people recommend using feces from a healthy alpaca for transfaunation, but this is not a good idea so don't let anyone tell you to feed your alpaca mashed alpaca poop to get his stomach going. The reason is this...stomach microorganisms will already have been digested in the intestine and not be viable in feces. So, you're wasting precious time and making a sick alpaca suffer through the awful taste.

Alpacas are hardy animals, but sometimes they get sick. If you keep their rumen working, you will have a less compromised alpaca.

Other things that may help your alpacas appetite inconjunction with rumen juice include the following:

• Injectable vitamin B

• Probiotics

Transfaunation has been called the "miracle tea" and it can certainly be considered that at times. It's a stinky job, but one that is well worth it to save a sick alpaca. Of course, always check with your vet to see if this is the appropriate action for your sick alpaca. It's just another tool to know about that may save your farm from suffering a loss.

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